When Aaron Hernandez sauntered to his locker Wednesday afternoon wearing a hat with the words “Muscle Milk” on the front, one ink-stained wretch quietly asked his peers if this was a shot at Lance Armstrong.

Somehow, we’re thinking the Patriots tight end wasn’t referring to the alleged juice the multi-time winner of the Tour De France was supposedly taking. Guess we’ll have to check out Oprah to find out the real story, right?

Besides, Hernandez has enough to worry about without sticking his nose into the Armstrong affair. He has enough on his plate trying to keep that same beak from being busted by Ray Lewis and the swarming Baltimore Ravens defence this weekend in the AFC championship game at Gillette Stadium.

You can bet Hernandez has a target on his chest now that fellow tight end and chum Rob Gronkowski, quarterback Tom Brady’s favourite touchdown machine, has been ruled out for the remainder of the post-season after he refractured his forearm during a divisional-round playoff victory over the Houston Texans this past Sunday.

To hear some of the talk-show callers in the Boston area tell it, the Pats will be severely hampered by the loss of Gronk. Maybe so.

But let’s not get carried away here. As arguably one of the top five tight ends in the league himself, Hernandez hardly can be described as a backup.

During the Patriots’ playoff drive of a year ago, Hernandez even got a couple of carries out of the backfield. Count on Lewis and Ed Reed keeping their eyes and ears open if the Pats try those shenanigans again.

On the other side of the ball, Hernandez will be sure to keep his peepers on the location of the Ravens’ No. 52 and No. 20 at all times. And so, too, will Tom Brady.

But that won’t stop the Patriots from heavily implementing Hernandez and the other tight ends into their game plan. Gronkowski or no Gronkowski, that’s just what they do.

“They have a lot of great players, with Reed and Lewis topping the list,” Hernnandez said. “You are aware of what they are doing, sure. At the same time, that isn’t going to stop us from doing what we do.

“Ray is a great player. He reads offences so well. He’s very good at adjusting before and after the snap.”

When asked about the absence of Gronkowski, Hernandez hinted at the Patriots “next-man-up” mantra.

“You can’t lose a great player like that and say that you don’t feel it,” Hernandez said. “But we still have a game to play. The rest of us just have to step it up.”

One Patriot who won’t need any additional motivation is Brady. According to Hernandez, getting the competitive juices flowing is never an issue for the future Hall of Fame quarterback.

“You can just tell by his look that he’s ready,” Hernandez said. “He’s a great leader who loves the game.”

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Pats' Aaron Hernandez embraces challenge

When Aaron Hernandez sauntered to his locker Wednesday afternoon wearing a hat with the words “Muscle Milk” on the front, one ink-stained wretch quietly asked his peers if this was a shot at Lance Armstrong.

Somehow, we’re thinking the Patriots tight end wasn’t referring to the alleged juice the multi-time winner of the Tour De France was supposedly taking. Guess we’ll have to check out Oprah to find out the real story, right?